Photos courtesy of the Long Beach Playhouse.
When mounting Shakespeare one can take many routes.
The world’s most famous playwright has proven time and time again to be nearly infallible. At their best, productions of his work can be transcendent experiences, giving physical life to worlds of archaic phrasing, flowery poetry, psychological insight and theatrical comedy/drama—all with a flair that seems not only natural but necessary.
At their worst, productions can feel over-long, heavy-handed, uneven in tone and sometimes downright exhausting. But even at the worst productions of Shakespeare that I’ve seen, I have caught lines that I had never noticed before, or begain to understand a shift in character that had never quite made sense to me. It is for these moments that I continue to see his works performed. Unlike a song by a favorite band or many popular films, through the uniqueness of live theater, his work continues to evolve and shift as his contemporary audience does, something that is pretty magical no matter how you slice it.
The plot of Much Ado About Nothing is one of the most commonly re-purposed and imagined premises for a romantic comedy. It mainly focuses on two different relationships, one between Claudio (Evan Battle) and Hero (Danica Allynn), and another between Beatrice (Kate Woodruff) and Benedick (Nicholas Thurkettle).
While the former couple falls in love immediately with one another, the latter fall in love nearly in spite of themselves, and only admit their love to one another after they are manipulated by a secret pact made between their friends and family members. Before both couples can live happily ever after, however, there are a few hurdles to overcome. A false case of blackmail almost turns Claudio and Hero’s union into tragedy, and a less dramatic, but more amusing jousting of wits and egos obstruct the way to Beatrice and Benedick’s union.
Currently on stage at the Long Beach Playhouse is a new production, directed by Sean Gray, that runs until the 29th of March. It updates the setting to the 1930s, giving the play a more contemporary and relatable tone. Unfortunately, the effervescence of its 30s intentions aren’t enough to keep this production, or the audience on their toes.
While setting Shakespeare in the early decades of the 20th century has proven successful many times (the 1999 film version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is just one example), it is not enough just to place his plays in a more contemporary setting, one also has to match Shakespeare’s wit and tone with whichever updated choices are made. While the setting initially is a good match for the material, and the set design by Greg Fritsche evokes every 1930s country estate you wish you got to drink champagne and dance at, the slapstick-y comedic shifts in tone throughout Mr. Gray’s production, and the awkward interjection of songs from the time period, do more to muddle the material than enhance it.
The casting is slightly uneven as well, with some actors aware of the world being evoked and others seemingly in a melodrama that rubs against Shakespeare’s inherent wit and grace.
The portrayal of Don John (Lee Samuel Tanng) in particular is exceedingly melodramatic and unbelievable, a fault of both the actor and the director. While it is true that Don John is written to be the villain of this story, playing into his unavoidably twisted ways instead of trying to bring out the bruised humanity buried just beneath his surface is this production’s most glaring mistake.
The production’s greatest asset is the casting of it’s two sets of lovers. Evan Battle plays a thoughtful and soft-spoken Claudio against Danica Allynn’s sweetly coy and girlish Hero. Likewise, Nicholas Thurkettle’s portrayal of Benedick finds the proper tone and humor for the character and makes all of his soliloquies a pleasure in spite of the fact that he is a bit old for the role. It is Kate Woodruff’s Beatrice that is the show’s most winsome blessing, finding the perfect balance between Beatrice’s wit and her heart. With a period appropriate curly-bob haircut, Woodruff is always fully present in the world of the play and suggests a production where all of the elements on display here gel appropriately.
I have seen good community theater productions of Shakespeare, some of which have taken place at the Long Beach Playhouse. I commend them for trying out an unconventional staging of a rightfully famous work. I only wish that the same care had been taken with the tone of the production as was taken with the setting of its concept.
Much Ado About Nothing runs now through March 29th at the Long Beach Playhouse’s mainstage. The Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E Anaheim Street. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here or by calling 562-494-1014.
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